JEFFERSON CITY - Heather Stephens of Jefferson City, Mo., pledged to focus on the road and not drive distracted. On Thursday evening, as a result of that pledge, she won a new car just in time for the holidays.

A 2014 Ford Focus from Joe Machens Ford was awarded to Stephens at the Machens dealership in Jefferson City as part of an awareness campaign to keep drivers attentive behind the wheel. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety teamed up with Machens Ford and KRCG-TV to sponsor the "Focus on the Road" campaign.

KRCG visited eight high schools and five college campuses state wide, teaming up with ThinkFirst Missouri to give personal testimony to the dangers of driving distracted. Over 6,000 Missourian's made the pledge on KRCG's website to stay focused on driving. Of the entries, 13 finalists were chosen and each was given a key to try in the new vehicle and the winner was announced during KRCG's live evening broadcast.

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. A driver using a communication device was involved in nearly 2,000 (9 percent) of Missouri traffic crashes involving a distracted driver in 2013.

"No conversation or text is worth the risk of a crash, said Dr. Leanna Depue, executive chair of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. "When you're behind the wheel, there is no more important activity than being focused on the road."

For more information about staying focused on the road, visit http://www.savemolives.com/, or find them on social media at Save MO Lives.